Gilbert’s Games 2017

Saturday 5th Sunday 6th August
Admission: £2 children, £8 adults – 2 day pass and family discounts will be available

Travel back to the 18th century, to participate in fun-filled activities, showcase local arts and crafts, and demonstrate how these skills continue to be passed from generation to generation. Enjoy a wide range of traditional 18th century games and activities for all the family – whatever the age and ability! These activities varied from Trap and Ball, Aunt Sally and Croquet. You will also have the chance to watch local crafts people demonstrating their skills all weekend.

Whats On:

Jane’s Games
To commemorate the 200th anniversary year of Jane Austen’s death we will be having a Jane’s Games Tent of Games as Jane would have known them.
Ferret Racing (Sunday Only)

Hampshire Regency Dancers (Sunday Only)
The Hampshire Regency Dancers is a dance group based in Winchester, England. Their aim is to promote, practise and enjoy the dances from the late Georgian and Regency periods, circa 1775-1830; and to have fun while doing so.

The Dandy Chargers (Saturday Only)
The Dandy Chargers display and ride their two wheeled propulsion machines (they call them “horses”) at stately homes and in Regency cities and towns

Gilbert Whites House

Gilbert White was aged 7 or 8 when the White family moved from the Vicarage on Selborne’s Plestor, to this house, called ‘The Wakes’ (named after the Wake family who had lived here previously). At that time the property would have been no more than a ‘two up, two down’ but over the subsequent years lots of extensions and additions have been made, creating the long sizeable house you see today.

The rooms have been restored following descriptions in White’s own correspondence and include a chair he used at Oriel College, Oxford (loaned from the College), items of contemporary furniture, family portraits and bed hangings embroidered for him by his aunts.

On display is the original manuscript of his book, The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, which was purchased with generous help from English Heritage and others.